The movie might be a metaphor for Ireland’s history of pointless violence from the Civil War era to the recent shooting of journalist, Lyra McKee.
Read more →
Blog
Helen Forrest – a bedrock of the Clackmannanshire Community A former nurse from Ayrshire, Helen Forrest throughout her time in Clackmannanshire , showed the same selfless commitment to the community that she had to patients in her former profession. The rights of tenants and their welfare drove
Read more →
Sir William Burrell , a wealthy ship owner and shrewd investor was one of the World’s greatest art collectors. A Glaswegian, he donated his collection to the City in the mid-forties. Today , it is housed in a custom built gallery at Pollok Park on the South
Read more →
The Sunday Times carried an alarming story this week by journalist, Marc Horne, alleging that there is ‘a deeply ingrained culture of snobbery at Edinburgh University ‘, where working-class students with regional accents, particularly from Scotland, are targeted and demeaned. A clue to this behaviour is in
Read more →Back online today after a very lengthy absence. Why? Some years ago I ran into a technical problem backstage on the dashboard ; I was unable to resolve it and my web builder had moved on to other things. A long story short- at my daughter’s recent
Read more →
I took this portrait of Brian Friel in the study of his Moville home in July 2010, shortly before he would be honoured with a season of his plays at that year’s prestigiously World Famous, Edinburgh Festival. It was a singular honour, traditionally afforded to writers such
Read more →
Age gradually corrupts our sense of time and environment. Asked to recall my memories of Craobh Sheáin Uí Dhubhlain, I have struggled to re-assemble the people and the place, some sixty years or so later. In mentioning names here, I risk omitting some and unintentionally causing offence
Read more →
As a trade unionist , I attended several meetings with representatives of the Inspectorate and the Government Department, including Ministers. Assurances were always given that inspections were conducted in a positive , supportive ethos. Frequently, this did not match the experience of schools.
Read more →
Yesterday, I had lunch in a little cafe in the Tollcross area of Edinburgh; it was clean, hospitable and offered an affordable menu. I had vegetable soup and bread with a coffee; it was delicious; without asking, I was brought a little jug of water, laced with a mint leaf by the waitress; I finished with a coffee and some excellent carrot cake. As I paid, the owners, a very pleasant couple, engaged in friendly conversation and I learned that they were from Turkey and enjoyed living in Edinburgh.
Read more →
With the casual sweep of an arm, weather forecasters frequently dismiss Scotland’s Northern Isles as wet and windy. Shetland deserves much more than that and last night we learned some of the reasons from Dylan Nardini, Scotland’s Landscape Photographer of the Year, when he was hosted by
Read more →
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it – nothing more true in politics, especially today. Scotland’s history of radicalism is peppered by the influence and memory of brave characters who went to the grave for their beliefs. From workers driven to oppose injustice,
Read more →